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ZX6R problem

2K views 20 replies 5 participants last post by  mischievious 
#1 ·
Hello, I am new to this forum and wanted to see if any knowledgeable person could help me out. I have a 1996 kawasaki zx6r. It ran well for me so far, but whenever it sat in rain or moisture overnight, it tended to need a while (a day or more) to dry before it ran well again. I was told that the fuel tank has a leak by the previous owner up by the fuel cap, and wanted to know if this would cause my bike to all of a sudden stall out during a ride or ride really rough and slow. Currently it is in my garage because it died on me after a very heavy rain, and it idles ok now but does not want to hit over 6000 rpm and the when i crank the throttle faster, the throttle acts as if it is restricting the flow. I was going to clean the carbs, but i am unable to figure out how to get it off (the allan bolts are deep and very very tight... my allan wrenches wont fit well and almost bent when i tried to budge them). I just wanted to know if this really is a water issue, because that would be betetr then attempting to mess with the carb. The bike has done this a few times, but not for so long and it seemed to help when I added more fuel to it? If it isn't water, how could the jets be all of a sudden plugged up? the carb looked pretty clean from what i could see under the airbox. Im so lost here :huh:
 
#2 ·
If water is getting into your fuel tank your in for big problems, being such an old bike you need to take care of it, i.e. clean carbs, possible re-jet, general maintenance, keep her out of the rain. Hope this helps a little.
 
#3 · (Edited)
take out your spark plugs and look at the ceramic part. if it's almost white, you're running too lean aka vacuum issue. White(ish) spark plug means it's burning too hot as the right amount of fuel cools down the spark. Too much fuel won't burn off enough fuel. Good A/F ratio means not all the carbon is burned but it won't foul the spark plug neither will it burn a hole through your piston i.e. loss of compression = power loss.
I'd also do a compression test while having the plugs out already.

troubleshoot the tank by riding with the gas cap open on a straight and whacking it on in 3rd gear, play around 8000rpm with the throttle (if you got up that high without hearing the vrooooom from the air intake when rolling on the throttle) tot test for peak power.

if it feels guttless then i'd say fuel delivery issue. since you got no real fuel pump it wont be that unless it's pissing out fuel from the gasket when running.
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the insight guys, I will be trying both or possibly taking it in if I have the chance (and the $$$). I was able to get her going well last night after dumping in some fuel system cleaner and octane boost. She is actually feeling more powerful and responsive now. Took a while for her to get going, but after quite the loud backfire, she shot out like she had a nitrous boost and nearly ripped my arms off! I will continue to use these products in the fuel, because she has quite the response out of turns and off the line now. It must have been something weird with the tank so I will probably order a brand new gas cap and check out the overflow vent. Still has some hesitation in low gears, but I bet if I keep up with the fuel additives, that will probably become rare. I'm so happy right now guys :cuckoo:
 
#6 ·
you should be able to ride in the rain w/o experiencing this.
It almost sounds like 2 problems.
one was sort of touched on, that was opening the gas cap while riding, that will let you know if the tank vent & hose are clear & working or if one is clogged. If it runs ok with cap open & not with it closed for a while, then you have a clogged vent.
The other sounds sort of like the ignition getting wet. You can run the engine at night & rev it up & look at the plug wires & coils to see if there is any arc'ing. If the plug wires have never been changed, sounds like it may be time even if they are not arc'ing, could be breaking down internally.
 
#7 ·
I do have a broken plug wire. I stripped the rubber, fed it back through, and used electrical tape to keep it in contact. I have not found a cheep enough set of wires and boots, and if I do they are always used :/ It's running very well right now, but I will try the open cap technique later tonight.
 
#8 ·
Another reason I believe it has to be rain, is because she started up right away during a downpour, and only when I made more then a block, she started sputtering and died. Water is heavier then gas, so it may have mixed in real quick and fed through. I'm probably going to run the tank nearly dry before I refill. Guess I'll order my gas cap this weekend, and figure out whats up with the vent. I once had to respray my whole gas tank because i filled her to high and it was over the vent tube. It came out the side of the cap? Anyone know how to prevent that and stop the rain leak
???
 
#9 · (Edited)
AAAAAANNNNNNDDDDDD, we have a winner!
you seriously need new wires.
as far as water in tank, it would run bad all the time until you drain all the water out. I'd lean toward tank vent, but also, the plug wires will most def cause this when wet. if one wire is bad, then most likely the other 3 are on their way out too.
go to partzilla.com to price some new oem & then base your search on that for comparison. I'm sure others will chime in on where to find new aftermarket wire set. I have not shopped for plug wires in a very long time & never for model of your bike.
 
#11 ·
i was not able to source anything directly, but it is possible that auto plugs wires would work. Pretty sure you can remove them from your coils. Take one that is complete to an auto parts house & see if they can find a set where there are 4 long enough & correct size to work. As far as boots, may need to just use some liquid rubber or silicone.
Otherwise, you may need to drop some coin.
 
#17 ·
Well, for now I'm gonna have to deal with it. I don't have the time to get out and look for things, but this Sunday I might be able to order the gas cap and spark plugs, and try to find some wires (found the plug boots though). Last time I looked at the plugs, the weren't in the best shape but they had no signs of lean fuel mixture. We'll see when I change them out next though.
 
#18 ·
Once the bike is put away for the winter, I will be pulling the tank and ordering everything I need (gas cap, spark wires, plugs, possibly used coils, carb rebuild kit if I can get the damn carbs off) and getting that all set to go for the spring. JUst need to figure out how I'm gonna get the carb out... that B is tight in there and the bolts are hard to get at.
 
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